Xiao Yunting leaned back against his chair, completely unmoved. “You may not know me very well. When I do something, I either don’t do it at all, or I do it thoroughly. And once I’ve done it, I never regret it.”
The black-clothed man stared fixedly at Xiao Yunting.
After an unknown length of time, he finally lowered his head slowly.
He believed Xiao Yunting’s words.
The man before him was indeed full of danger.
Even more dangerous than the people on the grasslands.
Raising an eyebrow, he licked his cracked, bleeding lips and asked unwillingly: “How did you figure out that I was the leader?”
“So many people were protecting you. If you’re not the leader, then what are you?” Xiao Yunting scoffed. “The question you should be asking is how I knew you weren’t from Great Zhou, isn’t it?”
The black-clothed man remained silent.
Xiao Yunting did not keep him in suspense.
With a calm expression, he said: “When you were escaping, you kept facing your opponents and never turned your back. That’s a characteristic of your grassland people. There are many wolves and beasts on the steppe, so you’ve developed the habit of always keeping your back toward the lake even when drinking water, guarding against attacks from enemies or wild animals.”
That was all?
The black-clothed man felt unwilling, yet also suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.
The young man before him was roughly the same age as himself, yet he always seemed one step ahead in everything.
Why?
How could he be so formidable?
Silence filled the tent.
Xiao Yunting raised an eyebrow. “My friend from Oirat, your status is surely not low. You took the risk of coming here because you wanted to see whether you could kill Great Zhou’s Imperial Grandson and become famous in a single battle at the Oirat royal court, correct?”
The risks were high.
But the rewards were equally great.
The Oirat royal court was completely different from Great Zhou’s imperial court.
Great Zhou followed the system of inheritance by the legitimate eldest line, with institutions and traditions that had been passed down for centuries.
As a result, succession disputes rarely led to chaos.
The Oirat royal court, however, was like a pack of wolves surrounding prey.
The strongest fist ruled.
Coups and power struggles at the royal court were nothing unusual.
Even the ruler of the grasslands could be replaced at any moment by a stronger tribe.
This made every one of them ambitious.
Smiling faintly, Xiao Yunting said: “Tell me. Who exactly are you? Otherwise, dying here without a name seems like quite a loss.”
The man’s wolf-like eyes stared at Xiao Yunting viciously for a long time.
He had no doubt that if he refused to reveal his identity, Xiao Yunting would kill him.
And there would be nothing the Oirat court could do about it.
After all, he had secretly infiltrated Great Zhou to assassinate its Imperial Grandson.
Could they really use that as a reason to declare war?
He gritted his teeth and said: “I am Zhar Tuobuhua! The Third Prince of the Oirat royal court! You’d better release me! Otherwise, once my royal father learns of this, he will attack your empire!”
Oh?
So it really was a big fish.
Xiao Yunting suddenly laughed. “Prince Tuobuhua, since you came to kill me, someone must have tipped you off.”
Zhar Tuobuhua felt something was wrong.
Xiao Yunting chuckled lightly again. “For someone to provide you with such information, it means their heart no longer belongs to Great Zhou. They are a true traitor and spy. Prince Buhua, how about we make a deal?”
“What’s with this ‘Buhua’ nonsense?!”
Zhar Tuobuhua roared angrily. “My name is Zhar Tuobuhua!”
Qingfeng could not help rolling his eyes.
Was that really the important part?
Xiao Yunting leaned forward slightly and looked at Zhar Tuobuhua leisurely.
Then his hand slowly grasped the portion of the arrow still protruding from the prince’s shoulder.
With a sigh, he said: “That must hurt quite a bit, doesn’t it?”
Before Zhar Tuobuhua could respond, Xiao Yunting suddenly seized the arrow shaft and shoved it forward violently.
The arrow instantly pierced through Zhar Tuobuhua’s shoulder blade. The pain was so intense that he let out a miserable howl.
Xiao Yunting smiled.
Looking at him coldly, he said: “Stop pretending to be stupid in front of me! Yes, someone sold you iron and horses. Yes, someone colluded with you. Yes, someone exchanged secret correspondence with you. But that person was absolutely not my grandfather, Lu Ting!”
His hand came to rest atop Zhar Tuobuhua’s head. “I’ve had enough games. My patience is running out. Zhar Tuobuhua, you still have one chance. Tell me who the mastermind is. Tell me who is colluding with your royal court, and I’ll leave you a way to survive.”
Zhar Tuobuhua was on the verge of collapse.
He had already gone three days and three nights without food, water, or sleep.
His nerves had been stretched to their limit the entire time.
Now Xiao Yunting had gradually extracted his identity and suddenly changed his demeanor.
The abrupt shift left him bewildered and helpless.
But Xiao Yunting paid no attention.
Stretching out his hand, he said to Qingfeng: “Give me a dagger.”
Qingfeng immediately handed one over.
Zhar Tuobuhua stared at Xiao Yunting nervously, his face filled with terror and rage.
Slowly twirling the dagger in his hand, Xiao Yunting smiled. “I’ve heard that among your Oirat people, some worship the Living Buddha. Apparently, your Living Buddha likes drums made from human skin and even regards them as sacred ritual objects. Is that true?”
Zhar Tuobuhua broke down. “Devil! You’re a devil! No, you can’t do this to me! If the Living Buddha finds out, if my father finds out, they’ll never let you go! They’ll never let you go!”
Xiao Yunting burst into laughter. “I am the Imperial Grandson of Great Zhou! Behind me stand thousands upon thousands of soldiers and an army a million strong! If you don’t let me go, how exactly do you plan to stop me?”
As he spoke, he actually used the dagger to cut into the back of Zhar Tuobuhua’s neck. “Let’s start here. We’ll peel off an entire piece of skin. When it’s done, I’ll have it delivered to your royal court. With the tattoo on your arm, surely your Living Buddha and your king will be able to recognize you, won’t they?”
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
This man was a demon.
Zhar Tuobuhua shuddered.
When he felt the dagger truly beginning to slide toward his shoulder, he finally broke. Gritting his teeth, he shouted: “It was Yang Qingshan! Yang Qingshan! The Commander-General of Great Tong! He’s the real insider who has been colluding with our Oirat royal court!”
Oh.
Yang Qingshan.
The commander of Great Tong, one of the empire’s most important frontier strongholds.
A frontier general who was friendly with the Oirat people.
How absurd.
How outrageous.
Xiao Yunting slowly withdrew the dagger, tossed it back to Qingfeng, and then stared at Zhar Tuobuhua.
Silently.
Carefully.
For a very long time.
The stare made Zhar Tuobuhua’s scalp tingle.
Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Never in his life had he been this frightened.
He had always thought that the nobles of Great Zhou were merely a bunch of pampered, bloated fools.
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